Neigbourhood bistro Abundance offers up loads of flavour with its Taiwanese street food-influenced grub, local craft beers and affordable cocktails.
Abundance was packed on a Wednesday night.
The small and minimalist Taiwanese bistro, located in the void deck of a HDB flat in Redhill, saw customers leisurely enjoying their dinner with dishes that would not look out of place in a Tainan or Taipei city diner. Among them were a pair of Japanese salarymen plowing through their beef noodles, while flanked on one side by a pair of giggly young girls snacking on dumplings and balsamic fries. Seated outside was a family unit of three; they were sharing fried rice with various side dishes.
It’s a rather eclectic crowd, a rare sight in what is really a rather quiet residential neighbourhood.
What was amazing to see was that most of them were drinking, partaking of Abundance’s range of craft beers available on its eight taps. Most of the beer offerings are locally made. When we were there, there was a range of brews from Sunbird Brewing, including its signature Fly In Light pale ale, as well as its white IPA Birds of Paradise, among others. There were a few imports too – Director’s Cacao Nib Porter from Saigon’s Heart of Darkness, as well as a sour ale from Melbourne’s MoonDog.
When we visited, Abundance also just tapped Sunbird Brewing’s latest seasonal, the Peach Me Up. This is a fruited sour, heavy on the use of Japanese and Chinese white peaches. In fact was to be exclusively tapped at Abundance for two weeks, before it’s released to the rest of Singapore.
And if you’re not into beer, there are a few cocktails on offer. We did really enjoy the floral notes from the Chrysanthemum G&T, while the vodka-based Citrus Sour Plum Highball reminded us of too many vodka sour plum shots at Zouk during our partying days.
It’s definitely an unusual sight, perhaps a sign that craft beers – and maybe even cocktails – are entering mainstream Singapore dining culture. And it helps that the food at Abundance is good, with prices affordable enough for a casual weekday treat.
The bistro’s name comes from offering a range of Chinese bun burgers. A bun dance, geddit? There’s Gua Bao, which is essentially the classic braised pork belly packed along with pickles and crushed peanuts in a fluffy white bun, while the CCB (Crispy Chicken Bun) is popular with the younger crowd with its deep fried battered chicken. They’ve also launched a seasonal bun to pair with Sunbird’s Peach Me Up; the Squid Game comes filled with deep fried salt and pepper squid as well as slices of peach.
Extremely popular are its range of fried rice dishes. And no wonder – Abundance’s head chef used to work for Din Tai Fung. Absolutely delectable is their Crab Fried Rice, which sees your classic egg fried rice topped with plenty of fresh crab meat. Then there’s the Niu Yolk, a contemporary twist that uses beef fat to fry the rice, as well as infusing the rice with some truffle oil. It comes with slices of tender beef short rib, while an onsen egg – complete with its glistening golden yellow yolk – beckons you to break and smear it all over your rice.
We highly recommend the Beef Noodles too. Fresh shaved noodles, braised beef brisket and an umami broth makes for one of the better bowls of Taiwanese beef noodles in town; it’s just missing some green bok choy and preserved greens for a true taste of Taiwan.
Abundance is a lovely neighbourhood gem, one of that we wish we had in ours. Between its hearty grub and an edgier drinks list than most with its craft beers and fun cocktails, Abundance may just define a new Singapore suburban dining culture.
Abundance
Address 63A Lengkok Bahru, #01-378, Singapore 151063 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 11am to 3.30pm and 5pm to 10pm on Tuesdays to Fridays; 11am to 10pm on Saturdays; 11am to 9.30pm on Sundays; closed on Mondays
Tel (65) 8032 1880
Facebook a8undance
Instagram @a8undance
